In October 2018, Diane and I visited the Brisbane State Library's Make Space that's called 'The Edge' http://edgeqld.org.au/. It's open three days a week for the general public, but members can gain 24/7 access after completing the appropriate machine courses.

The Edge was setup by the State Government to assist with personal development, innovation and social development. The complex is spread over three floors, and incorporates a dual screen digital media computer room, multiple function rooms, recording studio and down in the basement, a sizeable fabrication space. It's a subsidized space, and most gear is free to use with a cost recovery on the materials used.

We where fortunate to be given a hour long tour of the fabrication space by the Gregory, the on duty supervisor. Some of the work areas where: general work tables, two CNC routers, large laser cutter, five 3D printing machines, spray painting area, vacuum forming table, kombucha farm, electronics tables. In storage where multiple computers and sewing machines for use and hosting training sessions.

It would have been easy to hang out at the space all week, so it was lucky that we discovered it close to the end of our trip. When will WA investing something like this?

Storage space for small and large items. The vacuum forming table is the left:

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They run weekly Arduino tutorials, and every now and then cardboard construction classes:

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There is person thats really taken with making Kombucha art work, so he manages around 16 containers grown the leather-like textile known as a microbial cellulose: